Machine for marking cigars.



W. E. WATERMAN.

MACHINE FOR MARKING CIGRS.

I APPLICATION FILED DEC. 30,19I4-l 1,172,184.-

Patented Feb. 15,1916.

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THE COLUMBIA PLANQURAPH C0.. WASHINGTON. D. C.

Nw @s I ,VIIITIII W. E. WATERMAN.

MACHINE FOR MARKING CIGARS.

APPLIcAnoN FILED DEC. 30. 1914.

1,1729184. Patented 1191.111916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

w. E. WATERMAN.

' MACHINE FOR MARKING CIGARS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. :30. 1914. 1,172,184. Patented 1191.111916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

W. E. WATERMAN. MACHINE FOR MARKING CIGARS.

APPucATloN FILED umso. 1914. 4

Patented Feb. 15,1916.

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sr a f @FFIE WILLIAM E. -VATIFIEJVIAN, F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB, TO WAITT & BOND INC., OF ROXBURY, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS', A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

MACHINE FOR MARKING CIGARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15, 1916.

Application filed December 30, 1914. Serial No. 879,662.

To all w from t may concern:

Be it known that I, VVILLIM E. VATER- MAN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State `of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Marking Cigars, of which the following is a. specification.

This invention relates to machines for impressing on cigars, by means of dies or other marking devices, characters indicating the manufacturer-s name, trademark, etc., the cigars being moved progressively and subjected successively to the .action of the dies.

The object of the invention is to provide certain improvements in a machine of this character looking' to the rapid and effective marking of the cigars without liability of injuring the wrappers by the branding operation. y

The invention consists in the improvements which 1 will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification: Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a marking machine embodying my invention; Fig. 2 represents a top plan view of the same; Fig. 3 represents an enlarged elevation showing por# lan view showing a aortion of the ciO'ar carrier, theV die carrier hereinafter referred to being removed; Fig. 5 represents a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 represents a section on line 6 6 of Fig sents a plan view of the under side of the cigar carrier; Fig. 8 represents a view partly in section and partly in elevation, showing modification; Fig. 9 represents a bottom plan view of a portion of the cigar carrier support represented by Fig. 8.

The same reference characters indicate the saine or similar parts in all the views.

rhe fixed frame of the machine comprises a horizontal bed 12 which supports the upper stretch of the endless traveling cigar carrier hereinafter described, said bed being located above and supported by a horizontal platform 13 through suitable intermediate supporting uprights 14, `15. The platform 13 is provided at its ends with fixed bearings 1G, in which the journals of idle carrier pulleys 17 are mounted. y

The cigar carrier is composedof a plurality of trough-shaped members 18, each 2; Fig. 7 repre-v formed to support a cigar 19. rlhe members 18 are connected by rivets 20 (Fig. 7) with flexible carrying belts 21 (Figs. 5 and 7), adapted to run on the pulleys 17, the upper stretches of said belts being in sliding contact with the support 12. The members 18 may be connected in'an endless series by any other suitable means. A gage 22 located beside a portion of the upper stretch of the cigar carrier enables the operator to properly locate the cigars in the troughs of the carrier members 18, one end of each cigar abutting against the gage 22, as indicated by Fig. 2.

The cigar carrier may be driven by any suitable means. In the embodiment of the invention here shown said carrier is driven by lan electric motor 23 (Fig. 1) mounted on the platform 13, a shaft 2-1 journaled in bearings in the uprights 1&1 and having a pulley 25 which is connected by a belt 26 with the armature shaft of the motor, a shaft 27 j ournaled in other bearings in the uprights 14 above the shaft 2i and connected with the latter' by gears 28 and 29, and a gear 30 on the shaft 27 meshing with gear or rack teeth 31 Figs 6 and 7) formed between recesses in the sides of themembers 18. Any other suitable mechanism may be employed to drive the cigar carrier.

32 represents a rotary die carrier, which as Vhere shown is a cylinder the shaft of which is extended from opposite ends of the cylinder to form journals 33. The die carrier is provided with radially projecting dies 34 adapted to mark, print or brand the desired inscriptions on the cigars 19, the die carrier and dies being preferably heated by suitable means. such as an electric heating unit 35 centrally located in the carrier, so that the dies print by searing the wrap` pers of thc cigars. rl`he heating means may be omitted however', and the dies may be otherwise adapted to mark, brand or print the cigars. The dies 3-1 are detachably inserted in .radial slots formed for their reception in the carrier 32, as indicated by Figs. 5 and 6, and may be confined in said slots by any suitable means.

One of the die carrie' journals 33 is provided with a gear 36 meshing with a gear 37 on the shaft 27, said gears constituting connections between the die carrier and the cigar carrier whereby said carriers are moved 1n unison so as to present the cigars successively to the dies. The die carrier is so mounted that it 1s free to rise and fall,

Vbut is coniined against horizontal movement so that the dies bear with a yielding pressure on the cigars, the pressure being due to the weight of the die carrier and being adjustable or regulable by means hereinafter described. The die carrier journals 33 rotate in bearings 3S, which are vertically movable and provided with standards 39 adapted to move vertically in guides 40 `and -l-l (Fig. 3) .formed on fixed supporting Abrackets or standards 42 attached to the frame of themachine. Each standard 39 is provided between the bearings 40' and 41. with an abutment 43 which rests on a supporting spring 44, the latter being' supported by the lower bearing 4l. The springs 44 yieldingly support the die carrier and dies and reduce the downward pressure of the lowest or acting die on al cigar so that said vthe abutments 43, said springs exerting a downward pressure on the abutments and die carrier. lilhen the abutments 43 are adjusted separately the pressure of the upper springs 44 is increased and that of the lower springs'4/-lat s increased and that of the lower springs-t4 is decreased, and vice versa. Provision is therefore made for nicely regulating the pressure of thedies on the cigars. It will now be seen that provision is made for enabling the weight of the die carrier to exert any desired degree of yielding pressure on the cigars.

"The bearings 3S are preferably open above the journals 33, said bearings having spaced-apart extensions 38"l between which the journals 33 may be moved vertically to retract the die carrier from the cigar carrier. Means are provided whereby the operato-r may raise or retract the die 4carrier whenever this is desirable, said means including levers or lever arms 45 and 4G, both rigidly attached to a rockshaft 47 which is journaled in fixed uprights 48. Said lever arms have slots 49, one of which is sho-wn by Fig. 3, through which the journals 33 extend so that upward swinging movements of the lever arms 45 and 46 will cause a rectilinear upward movement ofthe journals and die carrier, the journals being guided by the bearing` extensions 38a.

`The lever arm 46 is extended to form an outwardly projecting arm 46, which is connected by a rod 50 (Fig. l) with an arm 51 attached t0 a rockshaft 52 which is jour- To steady the motion of the die carrier and prevent loose or idle movements thereof such as might bev due to backlash I provide means for resisting the rotation of the die carrier through one of its journals 33, said means comprising brake shoes 55 bearing on opposite sides of one of the journals 33, as shown by Figs. and 5. The lower brake shoe is attached to a lower lever 56, and

the upper brake shoe is attached to an upper lever 57. Said levers have shorter arms projecting in one direction from the journals, and connected by a bolt 58. The longer arms of said levers project in the opposite direction and are connected by a bolt having a headv'hich bears on the upper lever 57 and a nut 60 bearing on and supported by Van'ear (3l formed Von the lifting lever arm The lower end of the bolt 59 is threaded and provided with a nut 62 forming an abutment for 'one end of a spring (33 the other end of which bears on the ear (Sl. Then it is desired to steady the rotation of the die carrier, the nut 62 is turned to increase the compression of the spring 63. 1 Said spring acts through the bolt 59, lever 57, bolt 5S, and lever 5G to press the brake'shoes 55 against the journal 33 on which they bear.y Said rotation resisting means is vertically movable with the die carrier and is thereforenot aifected by changes of position of the-latter. The

portion of the cigar carrier under the die carrier is confined against upward movement from the support 'l2 by fixed overhanging ears 64 (Fig. 5). The cigars are prevented from upward displacement by overhanging guard strips G6 (Figs. V3, 4 and 5)'.

It will now be seen that I have provided means for applying a regulated pressure of the dies to' the cigars, the pressure being capable of nice adjustment so that injurious indenting of the cigars by the dies or marking devices and breakage of the wrappers may be readily guarded against.

I do not limit myself to themeans above described for maintaining a yieldingpressure of the/dies on the cigars. Instead of mounting the journals of the die carrier in movable bearings, said journals may be mounted in fixed bearings and therportion of the cigar carrier support under the die carrier may be adapted to yield, as in the modia vertically movable portion 12b which supports the cigar carrier members 18 under the die carrier. The supporting portion 12 is a plate having at its central portion downwardly projecting studs 67 engaged with levers 68 pivoted at 69 to iXed ears and are pressed upwardly by springs 70 interposed between the support portion 12a and the rear arms of the lever 68. The springs 70 eXe-rt a constant upward yielding pressure on the movable support bortion 12b so that the members of the cigar carrier on said portion are Vadapted to yield downwardly. y f

The terms brand and branding are used as synonyms of print or mark, and printing or marking, and are not to be understood as limiting the invention to a machine in which the branding, printing or marking instrumentalities are heated to sear the cigar wrappers.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A cigar-marking machine comprising a rotary die carrier having dies and end journals, means cooperating with said journals to prevent horizontal movements and permit vertical movements of the die carrier so that the dies are pressed yieldingly downward by the weight of the carrier, a traveling cigar carrier, a support for the latter, and connections between the two carriers whereby they are moved progressively in unison to present cigars successively to the dies.

2. A cigar-marking machine comprising a rotary die carrier having dies and end journals, means cooperating with said journals to prevent horizontal movements and permit vertical movements of the die carrier so that the dies are pressed yieldingly downward by the weight of the carrier, means for yieldingly opposing downward movement of the die carrier, a traveling cigar carrier, a support for the latter, and connections between the two carriers whereby they are moved progressively in unison to presen cigars successively to the dies.

3. A cigar-marking machine comprising a rotary die carrier having dies and end journals, means cooperating with said journals to prevent horizontal movements and permit vertical movements of the die carrier so that the dies are pressed yieldingly downward by the weight of the carrier, adjust able means for yieldingly opposing downward movement of the die carrier, a traveling cigar carrier, a support for the latter, and connections between the two carriers whereby they are moved progressively in unison to present cigars successively to the dies.

al. A cigar-marking machine comprising a rotary die carrier having dies and end jour nals, vertically movable bearings for said journals, springs supporting said bearings and yieldingly opposing their downward movement, a traveling cigar carrier, a support for the latter, and connections between the two carriers whereby they are moved progressively Vin unison to present cigars successively to the dies.

5. A cigar-marking machine comprising a rotary die carrier having dies and end journals, vertically movable'bearings for said journals,springs supporting said bearings and yieldingly opposing their downward movement, means for regulating the resilience oi said springs, a traveling cigar carrier, a support for the latter, and connections between the two carriers whereby they are moved progressively in unison to present cigars successively to the dies,

G. A cigar-marking machine comprising a rotary die carrier having dies and end journals, vertically movable bearings for said journals having elongated vertical shanks, fixed upper and lower guides in which said Shanks are vertically movable, spring abutments secured to said Shanks between said guides, springs interposed between the lower guides and the abutments and yieldingly opposing downward movement of the bearings and die carrier, a traveling cigar carrier, a. support for the latter, and connections between the two carriers whereby they are moved progressively in unison to present cigars successively to the dies.

7. A cigar-marking machine comprising a rotary die carrier having dies and end journals, bearings for said journals vertically elongated to permit the upward displacement of the journals and die carrier, a traveling cigar carrier, a support for the latter, connections between the two carriers whereby they are moved progressively in unison to present cigars successively to the dies, and means for vertically displacing the journals and die carrier to retract the lowest die from the cigar carrier.

8. A cigar-marking machine comprising a rotary die carrier having dies and end journals, bearings for said journals vertically Velongated to permit the upward displacement of the journals and die carrier, a traveling cigar carrier, a support for the latter, connections between the two carriers whereby they are moved progressively in unison to present cigars successively to the dies, a pair of levers fulcrumed on fixed supports and engaged with the journals, a treadle, and connections between the treadle and the said levers whereby the latter may be moved to vertically displace the journals and die carrier to retract the lowest die from the cigar carrier.

9. A cigar-marking machine comprising a rotary die carrier having dies and end journals, means coperating with said journals to preventhorizontal movements and permit vertical movements of the die carrier, so that the dies are pressed downwardly by the weight of the carrier, a traveling cigar carrier, a support for the latter, connections between the two carriers whereby they are moved progressively in unison to present cigars successively to the dies, and adjustable means movable vertically with the carrier for opposing'l the rotation thereof.

10. A cigar-marking machine comprising a rotary die carrier having dies and end journals, bearings for said journals vertically elongated to permit the upward displacement of the journals and die carrier, a traveling cigar carrier, al support for the latter, connections between the two carriers whereby they are moved progressively in unison to present cigars successively to the dies, a pair of lifting levers fulcrumed on xed supports and engaged with the journals, means for moving said lifting levers, brake shoes bearing on opposite sides Vof one vof said journals, upper and lower levers attached to ,said shoes and having shorter. arms projecting in one direction from said journal and longer arms projecting in the opposite direction therefrom, a bolt connecting said shorter arms, Va bolt engaged with the longer arm of the upper WILLIAM E. l/VATEPJMAN." 7

lVitnesses:

CARLL S.V CHASE, CHARLES B. I/VATERMAN.`

Copies of this patent maybe obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C.y 

